Door assemblies with insulated glazing unit venting

Abstract

A door assembly includes a doorframe, an insulated glazing unit (IGU), door skins, and a gas passageway. The IGU includes a substantially sealed IGU cavity and a hole communicating with the IGU cavity. The door skins are secured to opposite sides of the doorframe and have openings between which the IGU is provided. The gas passageway provides gas communication between the IGU cavity and the atmosphere outside of the door assembly. The gas passageway contains a gas passage conduit that includes a first end communicating with the IGU cavity through the hole and a second end communicating with atmosphere outside of the door assembly. The gas passageway may contain a gas passage conduit having a first end communicating with the IGU cavity through the first hole and a second end communicating with an air pocket, and a channel connects the air pocket with atmosphere outside of the door assembly.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A door assembly, comprising:
 a doorframe having opposite first and second sides, wherein the doorframe has a first hole extending therethrough; 
 an insulated glazing unit (IGU) comprising a substantially sealed IGU cavity and a second hole communicating with the substantially sealed IGU cavity; 
 first and second door skins respectively secured to the first and second sides of the doorframe and having respective first and second openings between which the IGU is provided; 
 a door core component positioned within a door cavity between the first and second door skins, and in direct contact with the IGU; and 
 a gas passageway passing through at least a portion of the door core component, the gas passageway providing gas communication between the sealed IGU cavity and the atmosphere outside the door assembly, 
 wherein the gas passageway comprises a gas passage conduit having a first end communicating with the substantially sealed IGU cavity through the second hole and a second end communicating with the atmosphere outside of the door assembly through the first hole, and wherein the gas passage conduit comprises a capillary tube and a vent tube connected to one another, the capillary tube having a first end a communicating with the substantially sealed IGU cavity through the first hole, and the vent tube having a second end communicating with the atmosphere outside of the door assembly. 
 
     
     
       2. The door assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the insulated glazing unit comprises an IGU spacer, first and second glazing panes, the substantially sealed IGU cavity established by the IGU spacer and the first and second glazing panes, and the second hole communicating with the substantially sealed IGU cavity. 
     
     
       3. The door assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the second hole is in the IGU spacer and the capillary tube extends through the first hole. 
     
     
       4. The door assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the capillary tube and the vent tube are arrayed in a straight line. 
     
     
       5. The door assembly of  claim 1 , wherein an internal diameter of the vent tube is larger than an external diameter of the capillary tube. 
     
     
       6. The door assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the capillary tube is frictionally fitted into the vent tube. 
     
     
       7. The door assembly of  claim 1 , wherein a sealant is applied at an interface of the IGU and the capillary tube. 
     
     
       8. The door assembly of  claim 1 , wherein a sealant is applied at an interface of the vent tube and the second hole. 
     
     
       9. The door assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the gas passage conduit comprises a capillary tube having a first end communicating with the first hole and a second end communicating with the second hole. 
     
     
       10. The door assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the doorframe comprises parallel, spaced, vertically extending stiles and parallel, spaced, horizontally extending rails, ends of the rails being secured to the stiles to form the doorframe, the first hole being formed in one of the rails. 
     
     
       11. A door, comprising:
 a doorframe having opposite first and second sides; 
 an insulated glazing unit (IGU) comprising an IGU cavity; 
 a door skin secured to each of the first and second sides of the doorframe, each door skin has an opening therein, and the IGU extending between the door skins within the openings; and 
 a gas passageway comprising a capillary tube and an interconnected vent tube, the capillary tube having a first end a communicating with the IGU cavity and a second end connected to the vent tube, the vent tube having a first end connected to the capillary tube and a second end communicating with the atmosphere external to the door. 
 
     
     
       12. The door of  claim 11 , wherein the IGU comprises an IGU spacer, first and second glazing panes, the IGU cavity established by the IGU spacer and the first and second glazing panes, and the second hole communicating with the IGU cavity. 
     
     
       13. The door of  claim 12 , wherein the IGU spacer has a hole therein and the capillary tube extends through the hole. 
     
     
       14. The door of  claim 11 , wherein the capillary tube and the vent tube are linearly arranged. 
     
     
       15. The door of  claim 11 , wherein the internal diameter of the vent tube exceeds the external diameter of the capillary tube. 
     
     
       16. The door of  claim 11 , wherein the second end of the capillary tube is friction fitted into the first end of the vent tube. 
     
     
       17. The door of  claim 11 , wherein a sealant seals the IGU and the capillary tube. 
     
     
       18. The door of  claim 11 , wherein a hole is located in the doorframe and the second end of the vent tube extends through the hole in the doorframe. 
     
     
       19. The door of  claim 18 , wherein a sealant seals the vent tube within the hole in the doorframe. 
     
     
       20. The door of  claim 18 , wherein the doorframe comprises parallel, spaced, vertically extending stiles and parallel, spaced, horizontally extending rails, ends of the rails being secured to the stiles, and the hole in the doorframe located in one of the rails.